HR with Breathing Room

When Dr. Matthew Gristina stepped into his role as Assistant Superintendent at Neptune Township School District in New Jersey, he inherited more than academic responsibilities. He faced a paper-heavy HR system bogged down by inefficiencies, outdated processes, and underused technology. Determined to change that, Dr. Gristina spearheaded a digital transformation using Frontline Recruiting & Hiring, Frontline Central, Frontline Absence & Time, and Frontline Professional Growth. 

This is how Neptune Township overcame challenges and achieved lasting efficiency gains through a steady commitment to learning, piloting, and full adoption of existing technology. 

Before Frontline	After Frontline
Manual, time-draining contract process  Contracts were paper based and the team spent too much time stuffing envelopes; follow-up took weeks.	600 contracts signed electronically in 6 days  Automated templates and e-signatures eliminated delays and paper handling.
Fragmented onboarding and recordkeeping  Paper forms slowed the process and created redundant documentation.	Digital onboarding tied directly to HR records  Hiring data flows into Frontline Central automatically, reducing errors and saving time.
Leadership time spent on administrative tasks  Paper-based processes blocked time for strategy and development.	Time freed for strategic HR leadership  Enabled projects like revising job descriptions and improving retention.

Neptune Township School District serves around 3,600 students across five elementary schools, one middle school, and one comprehensive high school. Formerly classified as an Abbott district, Neptune received state funding to support facility improvements, which contributed to a modern and well-equipped learning environment. The district also offers innovative programs like the Early College High School option, which allows students to graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate degree. 

Despite its robust academic programs and facilities, the district has experienced somewhat declining enrollment in recent years. As Dr. Gristina explained, this shift has had mixed effects: “Post-COVID, Neptune has experienced declining enrollment, and that, in a way, has been helpful during the teacher shortage.” While the reduced student population eased hiring demands, it also placed pressure on the district’s funding model. “You’re losing students. You want to still provide programs, but you’re forced to constantly do that analysis.” 

Retention became even more critical under these circumstances, Dr. Gristina shared. “We have a great mentoring and induction program in house, where administrators and teachers conduct workshops for new staff members.” 

The Challenges

Prior to the digital overhaul, the district’s HR functions were highly manual. Hiring, onboarding, and contract distribution all required paper-based processes, which slowed turnaround times and tied up leadership in administrative work. “The year before, we did paper contracts. We were in a rush, and the team was frantically stuffing envelopes. When I saw the team that stressed, I said, ‘All right, that is never happening again. We are figuring this out. We can’t have this.’” 

Even though the district had access to powerful tools from Frontline, many remained underused. Staff often relied on basic features and often failed to explore full capabilities. “I noticed a pattern when I started to dive into the applications we were using,” Dr. Gristina said. “Everyone’s excited, you push it through, set it up, and get it going. Then that fades, and before you know it, you’re using a product for an extended period of time, and you’re not using it to its full functionality, or even close.” 

He clearly saw the value the solutions brought. “If you’re looking ahead and have a vision for the future, you can see how these products can really help you and automate so many things.” For Dr. Gristina, the answer wasn’t to find a new solution. It was to maximize what they already had. “Let’s learn about the products we have, get trained, and use them fully.” 

The Solution: Reinvest in Frontline

Rather than switch platforms, Dr. Gristina recommitted to the Frontline suite. “I really did not want to leave Frontline,” he explained, “so I started asking questions, and it just happened to coincide with the release of Frontline Central. Frontline Central was still relatively new, so we hopped on board with that. Since we’ve been implementing it, it’s really taken off.” 

The district focused on a strategic deployment of key solutions: 

• Frontline Recruiting & Hiring for streamlined applicant tracking. 
• Frontline Central for onboarding, electronic forms and workflows, and contract signing. 
• Frontline Absence & Time for attendance and leave tracking and substitute placement. 
• Frontline Professional Growth for professional development and evaluation. 

“Going with Central prompted a lot of other things,” said Dr. Gristina. “The applications are getting better and better at being connected…. We wanted to pursue the use of forms rather than paper. The two big goals were electronic employment contracts and electronic onboarding.” 

Implementation: Step by Step

Step 1: Learn the Tools

Dr. Gristina began with a small, focused team. “I trained a very small group. I trained myself and my HR staff, maybe four or five people, on one app at a time with the certification courses.” They also made use of the many online resources available. 

Step 2: Get Admin Buy-In 

To build support, he conducted informal surveys and piloted new workflows with the administrative team. “I wanted to make sure they were comfortable with where I was headed. We did a lot of informal surveys starting with our admin team, and eventually, when I had consensus there, we pushed stuff out to the entire employment staff.” He introduced changes gradually and systematically: “‘Now we’re going to do this in Absence Management. Now we’re doing this in Recruiting & Hiring. Moving forward, this form is now available in Frontline Central.’ By the time it got to the full staff, I heard zero negative feedback because we had done our homework.” 

Step 3: Overhaul Onboarding

Recruiting data began to flow into employee records seamlessly. “Once people saw how it flows into Central after you mark someone as hired, that was another moment of, ‘Okay, we’ve got something going here.’” The district picked a specific point in time and made a clean break from paper. 

Step 4: Digitize Contracts

Once onboarding was digital, the team tackled contract renewals. “The big goal was, at the end of the year, we’re doing 600 employment contracts electronically.” They developed 12 contract templates, incorporated digital signatures, and collected every signed contract in less than a week. 

Step 5: Convert Paper Workflows

Gradually, the team rebuilt each paper workflow in Frontline. Staff training included short walkthrough videos and live demonstrations. “One at a time, we started picking paper-based workflows, eliminating the paper, and releasing the news to the staff: ‘Okay, moving forward, we’re no longer using this piece of paper. There’s a form in Frontline.’” 

Outcomes 

Faster turnaround. Contract returns went from weeks to days. “We track the return of contracts every year, and it’s really hard to get contracts back from some people. Usually, it takes a couple of weeks at a minimum to get all of them back. Even after three or four weeks, we’re still hunting people down. When we did electronic contracts, I had every contract back in about six days — and we didn’t have to stuff envelopes.” 

Staff adapted quickly, even those less comfortable with technology. “I recorded a two-minute video of me logging in, showing them where to click, what to do, and actually signing an electronic contract. I sent it out a couple of days before we sent the contracts and said, ‘Hey guys, this is the way we’re doing this. Watch this,'” Dr. Gristina shared. “They all figured out how to sign their contract real fast.” 

Strategic time reclaimed. Dr. Gristina said the shift freed up administrative bandwidth for other projects, like revising job descriptions. “It literally is freeing up time for me.” 

Better data and reporting. The team began making more data-informed decisions. “The reporting capabilities within the applications are very helpful. The more you know and are comfortable with the product, the more you can get into the reporting capabilities that give you the answers you think you don’t have. And then you realize, ‘Oh, I can run a report on that.’” 

Increased engagement. The digital transition built trust and participation. Frontline Professional Growth helped track mentorship programs and development milestones, reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement. 

Looking Ahead

The district continues to digitize legacy processes, monitor usage trends, and evaluate additional Frontline features as budgets allow. New staff receive training early, and quarterly reviews of data ensure continuous improvement. 

“It’s hard to get over into the realm of planning, but using the products has allowed me to get to that work, because the efficiency is here,” Dr. Gristina concluded. “If you’re able to really use these products to boost your productivity and efficiency, it allows people in positions like mine to get to those higher-level tasks and actually strategize about the future of the district.”